Across Universes, the Smiling Devil Crosses
by Deviltrigger Dante
Summary: Bleach/Soul Eater crossover. Gin has nowhere to go and nothing to lose after Aizen lost the war. With the stolen Hougyoku, the Smiling Devil traverses through Universes to Death City. New allies and New foes arise. Let the curtains lift and let's begin.
1. Prologue: Across the Bridge

**New story! This one is gonna be a little bit more serious than the others I have written. A little humor here and there but hey, there has to be some humor…also I don't own this so don't sue. Lol. The things in italics aren't a song or anything, I wrote them because they sounded appropriate for the story. Anyway read on and then review.**

Prologue: Across the Bridge

_The war is over and the Fox flees due to the misunderstandings of his allegiance._

_There's nothing to gain, nothing to lose; nowhere to go, nowhere to run, and nowhere to hide._

_The world is an empty shell, nothingness consumes the place, devouring it ever so slowly; an empty existence._

_There's nothing to die for and no reason to live either._

_Angry clouds have clouded and covered the last ray of hope…_

…_to let despair rule unopposed—this is the Fox's thoughts_

_And yet, the Devil finds cheer in this emptiness: what seems to be the end is only the beginning._

_He searches, scouring everywhere for a safe Haven, for the peace he now desires._

_Yes, Peace…_

_And so the Devil Crosses Across the Bridge; it is his salvation, his redemption, his last hope._

_And so he traverses from one Universe to another._

…

Running faster and faster, Foxface's figure flashed through the tear in the sky of the Heavens; the tear closing behind him—like a sign that there was no turning back. The Devil has turned his back on the past and his former comrades. The Smiling Devil runs for his life, no longer smiling his scary smile.

…

As Gin Ichimaru runs through the chaos of reishi, he recalls the recent events and he contemplates…

Gin had seen Ichigo's resolve waver and begin to break when the Rebelling Fifth Captain fought Yoruichi, Urahara, and his father; he had decided to snap the boy out of it by fighting it out of him. In the end, the former Third Captain almost gave up hope and told the boy to run; Urahara, Yoruichi, and the boy's dad were incapacitated and it seemed that the boy had no will to fight on.

He followed Aizen to Soul Society and the real Karakura town to create the Oken. When Aizen was about to destroy Karakura Town, Ichigo and Isshin Kurosaki arrived. The boy and his father had followed them and this time the Substitute Shinigami's resolve held firm and steady. It turned out that the Smiling Devil needn't pump him with bloodlust and adrenaline, or feed him hatred and wrath. The sight of his fallen friends was enough.

Gin himself was surprised that the boy could outmatch Aizen, he had had some doubts. He stood in the sidelines and watched as a Hollowfied Ichigo beat the living daylights out of the traitor. The boy had succumbed to his Hollow willingly and gave it the reins.

…

The King let the Horse throw him off, trampling the King underfoot with its hooves. The Horse becomes the King and Crowns himself Ruler of this Realm. In a contest of Killer instinct and Bloodlust, the Hollow wins.

…

Through Gin's observations, the boy didn't even resist or hesitate at the action; he let his Hollow loose to destroy the threat without any second thoughts.

But even a Shinigami who had acquired Hollow powers should not have been able to stand a chance against one who bore the Hougyoku. The wielder of the object was supposed to be invincible, right? And yet that scary kid, with his Hollow powers, outmatched Aizen. No, that wasn't it. Most likely the teen's willpower must have been stronger than Aizen's, which caused the Hougyoku to work for both, giving the boy the chance to win.

In the end though, Ichigo refused to kill Aizen so Gin had to finish it for him.

…

The one who outshines all is the one to be most wary of. The Devil once tried to surpass God and was cast down. With his Divine Spear (Shinso), Michael the Archangel smites the Devil, Lucifer, down to Hell.

…

The outcome of the war was irrelevant to the Fox. His allegiance could be for either side, no one really knew where he stood. The Devil was not at all concerned about the end because the end is his victory; either way he wins.

…

Unbeknownst to Aizen himself, Gin had relayed information concerning Aizen, his plans, and the Arrancars to Soul Society. If Aizen were to prevail, he would stay by his old companion's side. If Soul Society won he would go traipsing back to Soul Society as a hero who spied behind enemy lines.

Unfortunately none of this happened the way he thought.

The person who assigned him the role as spy, the only person who knew of Gin's true allegiance, Captain Yamamoto, was now dead. There was no longer any evidence that he was on the good side from the beginning. His ticket home had died with the First Division Captain Fall.

Ah, well." Gin sighed, smiling slightly as he scratched the back of his head. "It was gettin' kinda borin' hangin' 'round here anyway. And at least I'm not dead."

Suddenly the chaos of reishi parted and the former Captain could see Hueco Mundo: it was a wreck, a ruin, a shadow of its former glory. A junkyard of rubble and sand and waste was all that was left of the once-magnificent Hollow/Arrancar Capital, Las Noches.

Gin stopped I his tracks and stood in the middle of the chaos of reishi, thinking over what to do. He took out the Hougyoku he had stolen from Aizen's corpse, staring at it intently. "Man, shoot. The thing's returned to its dormant state. Ain't no way it can repair all dis. Even if it were awakened, all of this would take forever to clear up." He pocketed Urahara's invention. "No point goin' there." Gin frowned.

Where was he to go? He had nowhere else to go now that Soul Society thinks him a traitor.

…

A tinge of red amidst the ever-present, consuming darkness catches the Devil's eye.

…

Gin shook his head a bit as he glanced sideways to see what was there and saw an area where the chaos of spirit particles seemed to fade; it faded into black grass, walk another ten paces through that and there was an old bridge with ancient Glyphs written all over the side. Gin felt unbidden certainty that they were spells and scriptures from infernal or divine text.

The water under the ancient bridge bubbled and spluttered, roiling restlessly; The River ran red as blood, shimmering and glowing even though there was no sun to shine down upon it and cast its brilliant light. Just a red sky with black clouds billowing overhead; just three balls of scarlet light, three red stars that seemed to stare down at the old bridge and the black grass and the river that ran red. Like a watchdog, it stared; three glowering and glowing eyes in the red sky, staring and staring.

Casting a faint light, if any light at all, that did not generate heat or provide growth. No, the black grass grew independently, on its own accord; the casted light of the three red stars that had no brilliant rays, no blinding light; it was just there, like eyes staring from the crimson heavens, shining dully. They are dead eyes…evil.

…

Gin's frown deepened as he studied the area, then a grin stretched his features. "Oooo…scary, scary~" he stared at the stars for a second then flashed to the place and looked more closely. "Well, looky what I found."

…

It was weird: the place was like a small island in the middle of the ocean, the place was surrounded by the chaos of reishi that the Arrancars traveled through. What was beyond the bridge was unfathomable and unseen, hidden by a veil of mist.

…

A while back, Gin Ichimaru probably wouldn't have given a thought on crossing that bridge, but now was different.

He shifted uncomfortably, and then shrugged. _What I got to lose? _He thought. Matsumoto was most likely dead by now judging by the severe wounds she had suffered. Even if she was fine, Gin couldn't very well go back to Soul Society. Not after he stole the Hougyoku; he would be charged with treason and other crimes for following Aizen…now that Captain Yamamoto was dead.

There was nowhere left for him to go.

Soul Society was out to get him. The evidence of his true allegiance was gone.

Las Noches was a heap of rubble and waste. It would take an eternity to clear the mess up.

Shaking his head, Gin crossed the black grass and stepped onto the bridge. The Glyphs on the bridge began to glow red then purple as it reacted to the color of his reiatsu. Suddenly they ripped themselves from the old bridge and swirled in the air around him and the ancient structure. Like a whirlwind, the Glyphs swirled around them. Then the mist in the middle of the bridge cleared as if to admit entrance to the Third Captain.

_Nice~_ Gin thought, impressed then he continued forward to the other side…

…

_And so he walks the ten paces across, across the black blades of grass to the old bridge._

_And so the Fox crossed the Bridge of Universes, his figure vanishing as he walked through the mist._

_The Smiling Devil flees for his life, there is nowhere else to go but past the bridge and God knows where._

_The Smiling Devil turns his back on his world; there is nothing left for him here._

_Heaven is out to get him._

_Hell is a pile of rubble, no such place for the Renegade Devil._

_Now through the mist, hoping for a better future for in this world the clouds has covered the last of the Devil's hopes._

_He's hoping against hope for a peaceful place._

_And so Across the Bridge of Universes, the Smiling Devil Crosses._

…

And now the pieces are all set in place. Except…one piece has come into play, into the game from a different board. There are different Allies, different Enemies, and different Rules.

Yes…the pieces are set. Now let's begin **Act I: Arrival**.

**So…was it good? Hope so. Oh! And the thing about Michael and the Devil has some significance! But you'll find that out in future chapters. The mystery of its significance won't be solved any time soon. Please review. I need some feedback so please. Lol. Damn I'm begging aren't I? Oh well, 'Till next time~**


	2. Act I: Arrival

**This might be a little gory and violent but just bare with me. Anyway, ****Act I: Arrival**** is up and ready for you readers to read and review! So read on and review afterward, please!**

Act I: Arrival

_Fleeing from one's own world even though he did no wrongs_

_Running through the darkness, when suddenly a red light casts its dull rays_

_The consuming chaos almost overwhelming it but it remains undisturbed_

_The trios of red suns stare like eyes upon the place, guarding it as if it were sacred_

_The fox finds interest in this_

_The fox trots through the black grass on his swift feet_

_Taking the ten paces to the bridge, then he crosses it: The Bridge of Universes…_

…_that carries one over the Blood Red River of Divide and into the new world_

_The Smiling Devil is in new territory, a completely different Universe_

_And so the Devil walks the Earth once more, roaming God's Country_

_This is how the story unfolds…_

_This is how the story begins…_

…

The first act has begun, the play is set, the prologue has been said, and the show is ready to roll. Raise the curtains and let's begin.

…

The Fox strides through the mist, uncaring, to the other side. It seems to be flooded by black blood; a thousand lives must have been taken to produce such quantity. The smell of it is intoxicating, any human would vomit, nauseated by the odor, but the Smiling Devil doesn't mind. He likes the smell of flesh and blood. The stench of blood is like the scent of flowers to him and he embraces it with open arms.

…

Gin takes a whiff of his surroundings and smirks. "Boy, does it smell like Death here." Suddenly, a blinding light appears ahead of him, a doorway. "Well, there goes my way out."

The former Third Division Captain runs for it and flashes through the doorway in a blur of white.

Gin lands on the balls of his feet and surveys his surroundings. It was night time, even though in the realm of Blood the doorway out had been dazzlingly bright like the sun. It had been blinding but here, it was dark. Weird.

He saw the moon but it wasn't any ordinary moon: it was a crescent and it had a face that grinned, seeming to laugh at what was going on beneath its gaze.

Then Gin saw that there were women all around him, except for one…maybe two if that boy in the priest clothes was a guy. Gin frowned this place really was weird. The other man was a swordsman who stood in the back, guarding the little girl on his shoulder. He looked out of place with all the ladies all round.

The gathering froze at the arrival of the unwelcomed guest. "Well, 'cuse me, ladies an' gents fo' dis unexpected guest." Gin gestured at himself. "Sorry fo' buttin' in on dis party even though this gatherin' seems a bit fishy." He grinned, hands in his pockets and leaning forward, only to frown slightly when one of them hurled a volley of snake-like attacks at him. A flash of white and the Shinigami disappeared and then appeared standing, perfectly balanced on a lamp post. "Hey~ that's not what I call a good welcome present, girl."

"This is unfortunate…" Medusa said as she grinned evilly; her snakes writhed around and within her. "Unfortunate for you at the very least. You interrupted a witch's ceremony and congregation; we are inclined to have you die here and now." The group of witches formed a circle around the white-haired reaper. Some even floating in the air for the intimidating effect the former Captain suspected. He just smiled right back at them as if he had not a care in the world.

…

The Devil has entered a new world only to find that he is allowed no rest. He observes the place. There's business to attend to. He's God's Devil now after all; A Renegade from the former Hell and Heaven but a new ray of hope for this world's peace. He could bring the light of Sin or the light of Virtue, the light of Evil or the light of Good. Where will his allegiance be with…?

…

The building behind the new arrival cast its shadows over him, shading the Smiling Devil so that the onlookers could barely see him. Gin frowned slightly then grinned. "Y'all are a coven o' witches, eh?" His grin could be seen barely by the faint light of the street lamp as it gradually grew dimmer like the Shinigami was sucking the light from it, absorbing it himself. His eyes were still shaded by the shadows and not visible, probably because he had them closed almost all the time. "Sounds like fun~ and it also sounds like y'all want me dead."

The Fox-faced man opened his eyes slightly and two bright, glowing red eyes stared at the witches around him. The atmosphere grew cold and the light of the lamp died completely, spluttering out. Fear gripped everyone who saw the Smiling Devil. All that he could see around him was fear. All that the witches could see was the Devil's grin and his red eyes. "This won't do. That wasn't very nice either for you to attack me."

A purple and black aura swirled and glowed around him, surrounding him in its spiritual embrace; it seemed as if the power he had was raging inside, barely contained and wild.

The witches' eyes all widened. It wasn't Soul-Wavelength, it was something else. It was similar yet foreign. It was not the person's Soul but Power, pure and raw power, so powerful it could crush them all just by its suffocating presence. The witches all released Soul-Protect in unison and their Soul-Wavelength came bursting through, protecting them somewhat from the pressure of the man's aura.

Gin's grin remained intact, unphased by the witches Soul-Wavelength. "A witch's power seems to be strong…" Suddenly his spiritual pressure let out a pulse that sent shockwaves, blasting the witches back. "However a Shinigami's strength is unrivaled."

Medusa's eyes widened as she studied her foe intently. "Where's your Soul-Wavelength? I don't see it anywhere. All I see is power, this can't be." Gin frowned for a minute then laughed.

"When you say Soul-Wavelength, you mean the aura surrounding you, right?" Gin's eyes glowed even brighter as he sent bursts of spiritual pressure blasting around them. "Alright then." An orb appeared, with different shades of purple and black electricity, around him, expanding continuously as if it were a living thing that was devouring the place.

"Everyone who can sense spiritual pressure and 'Soul-Wavelength' will notice this a mile away…" Gin said this, frowning at his dilemma then shrugged. "But it's well worth my time and while…to see the fear in all of your faces." And instantly his frown was replaced by his usual scary grin.

…

He looks all around and sees almost nothing but sinners. Shall he smite every last one of them and leave the pure behind? Or play with his prey until they drop dead or exhausted and then leave them to die…? It's the Devil's decision but if he doesn't make one quick, he won't have a choice. Bloodlust is building to the brink of where he can't hold it back; he won't be able contain the killer intent any longer if this plays out at this slow of a pace. Soon he will have to kill.

…

Gin sent out burst after burst, pulse after pulse of raw power again and again, sending the witches in the air, hurtling earth-bound. The sphere of black electricity and tendrils of darkness along with the shades of purple that was within the orb and also surrounding it made Gin a fear-inspiring sight to see. His Soul-Wavelength expanded, devouring the cityscape almost with its heavy presence, until it engulfed the entire city then even farther; the force of it brought every one of the witches down to their knees as if worshipping him.

Gin effortlessly swatted away the arcane attacks sent his way. _These people just don't get when fighting is a lost cause and struggling is useless_, Gin thought. _But at least they got some guts to continue fighting when the battle is already won._

Medusa tried to get up but was having trouble. "How could this be your Soul-Wavelength? No one besides the Demon Gods and Death himself have Wavelengths like this! This can't be it, it's a fluke; you don't have a Soul!" she finished the last of her sentence by sending out a torrent of vector plates and snakes at Gin. There was a blast of blue fire and the snakes and all were burned to ash.

"I don't have a Soul? Now that's insulting. What you see is true. I don't know about 'Demon Gods' or 'Death' but this world seems to be composed of nothing but shrimps, small fries." His grin widened, if that was even possible, at the witches' rage at not taking them seriously.

Mifune, who had stayed at the meetings in order to protect Angela, decided that he'd rather not be dead meat and ran, with Angela on his shoulder, to Death's Academy. Death had to have realized what was going on by now, anyone could sense the newcomer's Soul a thousand miles away but it didn't hurt to make sure…

Gin let the man with the witch child go, seeing no evil within their hearts; the Hougyoku seemed to have let him see where people's sprits were held in the balance: whether they were sinful or not. From what he was seeing of the snake lady was a mountain of sin and evil that rivaled his good old friend Aizen…but Aizen was strong, and this woman in front of him was nothing.

Medusa's Soul-Wavelength flared and she got back up onto her own two feet, though it was as if the whole ocean was weighing down on her. "I'll show you who you're messing with." She said coldly. It would have been intimidating if she wasn't half-dead and looking as if she was about to collapse any second.

Gin frowned and tilted his head. "Why…I'm surprised. You can still stand with this much pressure!" he chuckled at his own pun. Grinning he said, "Let's take this up a notch then." A fresh wave of spiritual energy crashed down on all the witches, those who were on their knees now laid face down on the ground, gasping. Medusa tried to stay standing but in the end she failed and lay gasping under the immense weight pushing down on her.

The witches lay there with wide eyes, staring at the Smiling Devil. Fear was so evident that if Gin thought about it too much he might burst out laughing at their terror.

"Who are you?"

Gin tilted his head in amusement. "I don't need to introduce myself to dead meat, do I?" Suddenly the pressure was gone and the witches quickly got back to their feet. Gin drew his wakizashi and twirled it. "Having ya all incapacitated as I kill ya is like butcherin' lambs. Y'all wanna live? Then fight like Hell was on ya." He paused then smiled coldly. "Even though it's useless to struggle 'cause I intend ta leave ya all dead or dyin'."

The first volley of witchery and magical attacks came like rain, it was everywhere. Gin dodged this way and that and then sliced one witch clean in half proceeding on to the next which he diced up like slices of bread.

"It's been awhile since I've gone on a killing spree." Gin commented as he flashed onto the top of a building, looking down on them and waiting to let the rest of the witches take in the fact that tow of their kind had just been slaughtered mercilessly. "I've been trying to go easy on ya but I can't take the bloodlust anymore. I'll take ya all down." Gin smiled as he closed his eyes, trying to contain the feral side of him, the part that wanted to just rip these fools apart; no, he shouldn't go in for the kill just yet. "Now show me what ya got."

…

Jack is back.

…

Meanwhile, several blocks away, a young witch was leaning against the sink, staring at the mirror. Slowly her back unsheathed metallic wings and they spread; her weapon form had been dormant all her life until now. She didn't even think it was possible for witches to turn into weapons until now. Suddenly there was a knock at the door.

"Blair? Are you in there? Are you all right?" Maka's concerned voice came through slightly muffled.

Blair straightened and put on a cheerful tone. "Oh! I'm fine. Don't worry about me!"

"Are you sure?" this time Soul's muffled voice came through the door. "You've been in there for a long time…even for you."

"No, it's nothing~ I'll hurry up now." Giving herself one last glance, she sheathed her wings.

Then a thought crossed her troubled mind: _What's happening to me?_

**That's the end of Act I: Arrival next is confrontation. Oh and the part where it says "Jack is back" has some significance in the next Act. The Ripper is a legend everyone knows. So what do you think Gin's gonna do now? And what about Blair? I like to hear your ideas, suggestions, and criticisms 'cause it will help me make the story better and also it might encourage me to update sooner. XD lol just sayin'~ **


	3. Act II: AftermathEncounter

**Here is Act II! It's a bit gory and violent and descriptive of bloody things but bear with me and I'll make sure not to make future chapters that violent and all. Hope you readers enjoy it and afterwards please review! I get favs for this story but not that many reviews so please! I'd love to hear your thoughts on this and the comments encourage me to update faster! XD**

…

Act II: The Aftermath and the Encounter

_The Devil shows no mercy to anyone,_

_He walks the Earth once more, searching for deliverance,_

_Slaughtering sinners from left right, top bottom, mercilessly_

_He walks his own road to heaven, taking matters into his own hands,_

_Doing things his own way, not God's, he reaps the tainted souls_

_Will the Smiling Devil ever shed his past and spread his wings…?_

_Will he ever ascend to the sky and shine the brightest once more…?_

_The Exiled Angel seeks God's favor once more_

_These are the thoughts of the Fox; fate has been cruel to him,_

_He longs for redemption, _

_So if fate should be cruel to him, _

_Then why not just smite it down…?_

…

The moon was laughing, cackling at the scene that had unfolded below, under its gaze. It laughed quietly as the Smiling Devil looked up at it, meeting the crescent moon's stare evenly. The care-free and creepy stare was chilling. It was as if even the moon was afraid of the Fox-Faced Reaper; the Fox smiles, feigning a look of innocence, as he slowly choked his last kill to death. The deaths of all these sinners were a sacrifice to him, no one else. Still smiling, the Fox reveled in the blood and the gore, his killer instinct still raging at the surface after the ruthless massacre but the ravenous thirst for blood was sated and satisfied…for now. The Smiling Devil's grin widened as he sees the moon silent once more; everyone should fear him, the Fox will have even the sky, moon, earth, and sun bow down before him at his feet.

Gin stood amid the corpses and darkness; he stood amid the stench of blood, flesh, bones, and death he had created. Mutilated bodies scattered the entire scene before him, littering the ground before the former Captain's eyes. He stood there drinking this all in, all the while, choking his last victim to death by the throat.

The former Third Captain turned his gaze back to the dead meat he was suffocating and slashed at the body with Shinso. A scream erupted from the snake lady's mouth as the blood went flying out of the gushing wound, splattering onto the already bloody walls of the alleyway and at his feet; though Gin made sure none of it got on his clothes.

The Former Director General of the Arrancars usually found no joy in torture so he made quick work with the witch. Suddenly the screams of agony ceased, dying to nothingness only to be replaced by mad cackles.

Gin frowned at that but decided to just let the matter drop…literally.

Afterwards, Ichimaru surveyed the carnage around him once more, not quite finished in savoring his victory however small it may be.

The Smiling Devil looks upon the wreckage and havoc inflicted to the landscape after the killing: the blood of a dozen and one witches were splattered on to walls, the blood dripping, oozing down onto the ground where it collected into a giant pool, the corpses that the Reaper mutilated were strewn everywhere, limbs and torsos here and there, and the sickening odor of Death that the Fox enjoyed so much was strong in the air.

The slaughtering of these witches reminded Gin of the old days before he became Captain of the Third Division, when Urahara Kisuke was still in Soul Society and the Vizards were not yet Vizards; he had truly been a monster then, truly been feared, he had been wild with bloodlust and he had killed so many. He had so many people's blood on his hands, so many he lost count of the number of victims.

The memories sank back beneath the surface and Gin's conscience returned to the present.

The sight of torn skin that had been ripped to shreds, the gouged flesh still gushing blood, the crushed bones of limbs and skulls, and the mangled sinews, that all made the ground seem like a living thing suddenly seemed to be too much for even him.

The very sight of what had happened when his self-control wavered had led to something within him, locked away, almost forgotten; he felt like he was about to break, he felt that he had gone a step too far from what little humanity was left in him…but he wasn't human anyway now was he? No, he was the Smiling Devil. He who has no regrets and does what he pleases. He is God's exiled angel, smiting sinners down with his Divine Spear, and wiping the world clean of the world's tainted stain.

And yet…deep down inside, within his whole being…he regrets and has doubts. The butchering of thirteen witches was over the line; he could have killed them all without making such a mess…if he had enough self-control. Instead, he had let his indomitable drive for blood and more blood take over.

He shakes his head; this deep thinking wasn't in his character. But the emotions coursing through him contradicted the facts.

The Fox gazed longingly at the sky and the stars, they seem to be staring back at him disapprovingly, and he wonders. Will he ever meet his friends back at Soul Society again…? Will he spread his wings once more? So many thoughts and questions and a lot of them unanswered…

Gin tried to clear his mind of the confusing thoughts that jumbled and crossed it. He's let his thoughts wander for too many times this night. This strange world must be influencing his change in behavior.

The Fox's eyes returned to observing the Death all around him; he couldn't place the feeling that he felt… telling him something was wrong. The feeling of dissatisfaction puzzled him. Looking over the still and contorted yet recognizable faces of the dead witches, he could still see the evident fear in their dead stare, even after Death, the despair and fear remained. He could even feel their agony and pain of their last moments when he butchered every single one of them like livestock. But still…something was off, and he had to get to the bottom of this.

Frowning, the Run-away Shinigami carefully stepped around the carnage, picking his way with care as he counted the faces. Then it dawned on him: the snakey lady's corpse was nowhere to be found; she was not among the dead even though Gin had just killed her minutes ago.

Gin looked at the sky again and chuckled. _Such a slippery one~ interesting…maybe I should go hunt her down and kill her again…?_ He yawned. _Nah, not worth the effort._

He'll bide his time. The Smiling Devil has ample amounts to spare anyway, plenty to waste. Time wasn't a problem for someone practically immortal. And besides the sporting thing to do would be to wait it out and see if his prey would try to get stronger. The Fox will wait it out. Let his prey jump at every sound and let his prey avoid the dark. But eventually, the hunted will grow careless, and the paranoia and the fear will fade…that's when he kills. The shock and fear will be most satisfying, blood will be shed and pain inflicted a thousand fold.

Shrugging, the former Captain cleaned his sword with a rag from one of the many witches' clothing. Sheathing Shinso, Gin turned his head slightly, tilting it to the source of the sound of footsteps. He frowned, feeling the presence of two moderately strong beings and seven others heading his way. "Dang~ Hope I don't get into 'nother brawl…" his frown deepened as one of the witches that he had assumed was dead, stirred.

The Fox made his way to the witch, lifting her by the collar of her shirt.

…

Maka and Soul ran through the barren streets of Death City at breakneck speed; they had sensed the presence of several witches releasing Soul-Protect all at once and came to investigate, though why the witches did such a thing remained unsolved, unknown to them as of yet.

Soon they met the rest of their friends along the way who had also sensed the commotion. Such a thing was unheard of, witches would never release Soul-Protect unless they've been discovered or for self defense.

Suddenly a huge blast of energy, that was not from the witches for sure, nearly sent the group sprawling at its monstrous power as it overwhelmed the City; the very air was filled with raw power that expanded across Death City, consuming it. Then it was gone, just as fast as it made its presence known, it disappeared, and the group continued on, picking up their pace.

The power felt foreign, exotic and strange, but worst of all, it reeked of killer intent and had the feeling of bloodlust written all over it; the insurmountable and devastatingly colossal power gave everyone the thought that it could crush anyone if provoked.

"This other Soul Wave-length…!" exclaimed Maka suddenly. "It's too much…We can't get close or it will crush us, it was overwhelming at our house and the closer we get I'm sure the more pressure it will build around us." Her eyes were wide and perspiration was gathering on her forehead as Soul looked over at her and realized she was in almost the same state she had been when she first laid eyes on Stein's Soul. "How can anyone have such a huge Soul…?"

Her weapon couldn't find the heart to cheer her up this time because it was too much even for someone who couldn't see Soul Wave-lengths; he had felt the unwavering, raging strength and he was only a weapon, not a meister. Who can be so strong as to project and display and blast their Soul Wave-length in very dimension…?

"We have no choice." Kid said grimly. "If this person or thing turns out to be against us and is evil then we have to put a stop to this." His weapons Liz and Patty gave him some encouragement but it was half hearted as the atmosphere grew thick with dread.

"Yahoo! It won't be a problem! Tsubaki! Enchanted Sword Mode!" Black Star shouted at the top of his lungs. His partner nodded and transformed.

_Better be prepared now before we get to the scene._ Kid thought. "Liz, Patty, Let's go! Weapon form, Executioner Style…!"

Evidently, Maka and Soul thought along the same lines as the young grim reaper because Soul was already in weapon form.

Together, the group ran silently through the deserted streets toward the place where the witches and that other one were. Black Star made occasional battle cries to ease the tension but was quieted by the others glares. They arrived at the back alleyway to see it practically painted red with the blood of the witches. A figure stood in the middle of the sea of blood and destruction, choking the last, surviving witch.

It was a young man, wearing strange, unusual white robes; his samurai gear a pure, deathly white that made him seem almost ghostly with the contrast of the dark background. He also wore a short sword that was strapped onto his waist. He stood there half turned toward them when he heard the sound of their footsteps stop. The man in white tilted his head sideways and looked sidelong at them with a lazy expression on his face as if he did this every day. Smiling at their shocked expressions as it crossed their faces; he threw the witch in his hands at a wall like a rag doll.

Unexpectedly, Professor Stein appeared in front of them as if to shield them from the fox-faced man's gaze. "Don't get any closer." He said over his shoulder, as he took the cigarette out of his mouth and discarded it. The scientist looked over at the Smiling Devil who still hadn't turned completely to face them. "Did you do all this…?"

The witches purple Souls floated around the area, eerily illuminating the place and the group could almost make out, from behind Stein, the stranger's fox like smile turning into a broad grin, his squinty and closed eyes giving them the chills that ran down their spine as his face was cast into light through the glowing and pulsing purple Souls.

The fox-faced man replied with a smirk and a shrug, with a slight drawl, "So…? What 'bout it? They were worthless." he picked a dead witch up and threw her in the air towards Stein and the others, slashing his sword through it, slicing it to pieces as the ribbons of blood went flying at them like bullets that Stein blocked with a careless spin of the Death Scythe he was clutching.

The man grinned at the display of skill and disappeared all of a sudden in a blur of white, only to reappear behind them all, cleaning his drawn sword with a flourish and twirl before sheathing the wakizashi back in its scabbard, "You should know better than ta let chil'ren be out and runnin' 'round at midnight~! Po' things could get killed~"

The group whipped around at that. _Such speed…!_ Stein swung the Scythe he was holding while Kid fired his bazooka like cannons on instinct, but the group's attacks only met thin air.

The Smiling Devil appeared above them, seemingly to just stand in midair, looking down on them; he sheathed his sword, "Been nice seein' ya all! Bye Bye~" the Fox opened his eyes briefly to reveal scarlet orbs of light, glowing pupils that made the meisters and weapons skin crawl, and their blood run cold; that was all they saw…then he was gone; out of sight but not out of mind~

Needless to say for any of them, the gang didn't sleep well that night. The moon cackled now…seeing as the Fox left the moon can laugh freely, and so it cackled at the new events beset upon the group.

The Ripper walks Death's streets, carrying out his own ideals of justice on sinners. He leaves nothing but blood and carnage in his wake. The Smiling Devil has arrived…_and the end is nigh…?_

…

_Outwardly, the Fox kills with seemingly no regrets_

_But through the scary façade, _

_There lies a kind and gentle soul—who has doubts,_

_A soul, so fragile that it is at the brink of shattering to a thousand pieces_

_Someone show the Smiling Devil the way_

_For his brother, the morning star, is not as dead as he thinks…_

_Let someone show him the path…_

_Soon, very soon, he shall spread his wings and reassume his role as the Angel of Justice_

…

**That's it for now~! So…y'all liked it? Well, review please because it really feels like I'm writing for a silent audience…DX Well, there are two people who reviewed so far. Thank you to those who reviewed and thank you to those who put the favs but please review. Anyway I know this was a little bit too dark and gory but have patience, the next chapters and onward, the story won't be that entire blood and guts thing. XD This story will probably NOT have any OC characters because in my opinion made-up characters suck…so there won't be some random dude in here with a major role. No offense to those who like made-up characters of course. **


	4. Act III: Catch Me If You Can

**Act III is up! And it is ready for readers to read and REVIEW. Please? XD Okay, this poem in the beginning is kinda long and pretty many talks about nothing so skip it if you want and read the story. XD I will try to update faster from now on…hopefully. But before I focus my entire devoted attention on this fic, I havta finish my other fic. Anyway, read on and review afterwards, don't forget it~! **

…

Act III: Catch Me If You Can

_Crescent Moon, with Darknesse, Fading and Falling to Nothingness_

_Fiery Sun, with Light, Glowing and Rising above the Black Horizon_

_As an Ivory Lantern in Cold Ebony Darknesse, the Sun Shines Anew_

_The Light Reborns the Phoenix, Resurrecting Hope from Grey Ashes_

_The Searing Iridescent Blades of Day Break the Night's Dark Shield_

_The Rays of Newborn Dawn tears Asunder the Dark-shadowed Skies _

_It Pierces. The Morning Pierces Dark Shades of Night into the Void _

_And Lights the Sky like a Thousand Celestial Angels Alighted Aflame_

_Blazing Stars Fall as the Blade—the Scythe—Reaps the Fate of All _

_Black Blood seeps and flash Crimson at the Thirteen Sinners' Grave_

_The Fallen Reaper—Smiling Devil—Allies with the Lord of Death_

_And thus begins a New Conquest—and thus begins a New Alliance_

…

Dawn's early light shone through the skies with the set of the cackling moon and the rise of the roaring sun. It is Light. And it is New Light that brings enlightenment. It brings amusement. Excitement. The recent turn of events has brought forth the light of such joy and euphoria to both celestial onlookers. And they laugh and laugh and laugh in unison.

The moon sets. The sun rises. New Light. Madness to laughter. The World is laughing, the Moon is laughing, and the Sun is laughing, for the Universe has gone mad. The Sanity is broken and as it breaks, Madness enters.

The blood and carnage had yet to be cleared by the local authorities as the world scrambles to catch up to recent news. By now, the murderer, the sly white fox, had long since disappeared among the crowd, mixing with the gaggles of everyday citizens.

Death had ordered the local police to tape the scene of the mass witch murders off from the prying public in order to prevent loud mouths and hysterics from spotting the place where a completely ruthless massacre had occurred just hours before and blabbing to the world. It was only for the moment. It would remain as it was now—bloody and reeking of Death and Fear—until the whole alleyway had been studied and the corpses autopsied. After the investigators finished their work, the place would then be completely wiped clean of the stench and blood and flesh. Out of sight but most certainly not out of mind.

Death had wanted the entire thing to be quieted and kept secret but this big of an event didn't seem like it could be hushed. Even through his immediate actions and careful measures in ensuring that the entire area of the place was forbidden, he knew word was bound to get out anyway. Somehow, the events that had occurred that night would get out. In this case, word was always going to get out. This was to be expected, however, when one of the witnesses of the witches' termination happened to be none other than the infamous loud mouth, Black Star, with his obnoxiously over-the-volume voice. No doubt the "assassin" had gone off running around town, screaming the events. By the time he finished, the murder of the thirteen witches would become, if not acknowledged as news, a legend.

Lord Death had paced his office floors worn, worrying about the leaked news, frustrated that the so-called ninja couldn't keep his mouth shut. These series of murders were vitally crucial to stay hidden. They were so disturbing, so ruthless, the very thought of such a ruthless reaper—even if it were one of justice—on the loose in the streets of death City would cause great unrest. He, Death, had no idea how the public, the people of his city, would react to such daunting news.

Turning to face his blank looking glass mirror, death waved a hand over it and brought forth a scene of the bustling activity of Death City. He stared at it, intently, surveying the streets and alleys as if he could pick out the reaper in the busy crowds as they moved about, each hurrying to whatever business they were to tend to, just by overlooking the everyday activity in his streets.

It was futile. The murderer was probably in hiding by now. Still, it was worth a shot. Then his thoughts turned to other more pressing matters about the case. Stein had told him all he knew of the man's appearance and power in minute detail through his personal observations and also forensic analysis on what was left of the witches. Through all the data gathered from his own encounter of the man in white and after inspecting the remnants of the witches, Stein had compiled them all into a report. Judging by the professor's account, the man had a rather large Soul Wavelength—a wavelength that could not belong to a human or any other ordinary grim Reaper. No Meister in the history has ever possessed such devastating power. Sifting through Stein's information on the man, Death recalled that Stein had commented on not being able to even see the man's soul at first but had soon realized that it had encompassed the entire town. The man's power was so chaotic, seemingly almost like a form of the power of Madness. But even Kidd and Black Star didn't possess such power as that: the man was able to—both physically and mentally—attack anyone within his Soul's wavelength. The psychic onslaught also seemed to have lasting effects on the victims—Stein even noted that these effects lasted up to a couple of hours.

Death looked out at the looking glass once more, hands behind his back, thinking furiously on how to contain the threat. With such a Wavelength, any Meister should be able to find the man. Perhaps, he was using Soul-Protect? But that didn't seem likely—Stein had gathered enough information to deduce that this man was a stranger to this world. Surveillance cameras had captured the scene of the crime and had played out the entire incident of that night, from the beginning of the witches' gathering to the point where Stein and company had come across the ghostly samurai. After playing back the video, stein and Death had reached an agreement that the new arrival was indeed a stranger to this world of Meisters, Weapons, Kishin, and other oddities. But then, how did the man go about making himself untraceable. After the battle with the witches and encounter with Stein and the rest, the man's Wavelength had vanished, just completely wiped off the map.

Maybe that explained the gigantic Soul Wavelength that the man possessed and maybe that explained that the man was able to simultaneously attack everyone's mental and physical facilities within his Wavelength. Maybe that was the reason why the man was able to disappear without a trace.

The local authorities had assured Lord Death that the man was bound to turn up on the surveillance watch or slip up in some form and then he and his group of Meisters and Weapons would be able to deal with the Reaper, or Ripper. But so far the attempts of capturing the murderer had been unsuccessful. The Reaper seemed to only show his face when he wanted to, either for particularly large massacres or for fun. Then again the man seemed to always be enjoying himself, smiling widely as he slaughtered criminals after criminals. Even if the group of Meisters and Weapons Death had prepared were able to engage the killer in combat, Death had no doubt that they would all be sitting ducks for the reaper to slay. Sending Meisters and Weapons after the Devil would end up having the reaper leave a trail of blood and destruction in his wake. All in all, it wasn't worth the risk.

Death stared down at the file Stein had organized detailing the man's abilities and all. The professor had also noted that the murderer—the Ripper as the Professor dubbed him—also appeared to be a master swordsman. Albeit ruthless and, at first glance, sloppy in his sword work, on closer inspection, the cuts and wounds the man inflicted were all methodical. Everything seemed to be calculated, all carefully precise as if the murderer wanted to savor the screams and agony of his victims. Drawing out the victim's suffering and laughing along with the screams, man or Devil, death did not know what to call him.

Torture the victims, cutting them a thousand times, and then ending them, letting them die through blood loss…

Death shook his head, tiredly. He turned a page and read the details on the man's powers. Apparently, the man in white was inhumanly fast, not to mention monstrously strong. By Stein's and the others' personal accounts, the man was able to get behind them all in less than a blink of an eye. According to Doctor Stein's notes and the bodies the professor had examined personally, the man didn't just inflict wounds with his sword, but with his bare hands as well. There was even evidence that the Reaper could stab through a victim with a spear-hand.

This guy was ruthless, merciless, and cruel to his victims. A sadistic Grim Reaper from another dimension. A Perfect Killer. Completely detached and impassive to death and blood and suffering, with no hesitation at all it seemed, no thoughts at all but the intent to kill.

There was some hope, though, that this new figure may turn out to be on the good side. So far, the only murders and casualties have been criminals and witches. Police reports came in by the hour with more deaths. All ruthlessly executed criminals and witches. All tortured to death. All "deserved" annihilation.

Scanning over Stein's report once again, Death read over the Reaper's capabilities once more, memorizing it.

There was something that mentioned the fact that the murderer could stand in midair which seemed impossible and Death would not have believed it in the slightest had it not been Stein who noted this.

All these impossible feats. The impossibility of all of it was overwhelming: the slaughter of thirteen highly dangerous witches, the frightening abilities of the Ripper, the disturbing methods of killing the Demon Reaper utilized, the ruthlessness, the Soul Wavelength. And the Samurai had managed.

Death flipped to the last page of Stein's report, and glanced down at the sketch, memorizing the descriptions also: white hair, red eyes, white samurai gear, wakizashi blade, purple Soul Wavelength…

This man shouldn't have been able to hide from him. This Reaper shouldn't have been this hard to spot. And yet Death was at a loss, with no good leads, no concrete trail to follow. The man was utterly untraceable.

Death sighed. It can't be helped: he would have to deal with this matter personally. And with other issues to contend also, he would have to work overtime. Not only the rise of the infamous Noah and his cohorts, and the resurrection of Asura, the Kishin, and the uprising of Medusa and her band of mischief, but also this Reaper/Ripper character.

Death had to deal with the Ripper first. If it turned out that the Ripper was on the good side after all, then he would make a valuable ally in the coming war against Madness: the Kishin, Medusa, and Noah. Death needed more allies and fast. If he didn't act fast enough, he would have too many enemies to deal with. His hands were full as it was and he didn't need to be burdened with more problems.

Medusa had already made her move—the recent events in Moscow, which have yet to be reported to Stein and the rest of the gang, were quite unsettling.

Noah wasn't as dead as they had thought—Death had tracked his henchman into the forest through his looking glass mirror. The Book of Eidolon seemed to have been Noah's escape.

Justin had gone off to look for his god, the Kishin, after the Madness took over him. And as far as Death knew, and through what his sources were telling him, the Weapon had found its master.

With all three forces of Madness mobilizing, Death had to find an ace, a trump card that could turn the tide, and this Reaper seemed just the thing.

He looked up from his paper and waved his hand over the looking glass to shift the scene. The view changed and a bloody underground night club was shown. A figure stood in the center of the bloody mess. The Souls of witches glowed and pulsed around the man, floating above the ground and drawing nearer to the Smiling Devil. _Found you…or did you let me? Either way, we'll meet face to face soon enough…and when that time comes, let's hope for the best._

Death watched as the man took the Souls into his sword, absorbing them all at once, his sword glowing. A vacuum seemed to appear at the sword's tip and began to suck the Souls into its bottomless chasm. A figure behind the man staggered to their feet, brandishing a gun in one hand and a sword in the other. Death looked on as the Ripper dodged the bullet shot towards him and sliced the man in half.

Would this lone character join them? Would the Smiling Devil be willing to take up a contract with Death? Death pondered this, looking on at the bloody scene before him, apprehensively as if the day had come that he would have to ask the Devil himself this important question. Then the Devil of Purple Aura turned and grinned straight at him, as if he could see Death through the looking glass mirror. The Reaper's suspicions were confirmed when the man turned fully toward him.

There was no blood on the man's hands—none that Death could literally see at the very least. There wasn't even a trace of evidence that the ghostly samurai had just recently slaughtered a room full of the city's most hardened criminals. Only a splatter of blood across the Devil's Fox like face indicated the signs of his part in his massacre.

Then the Devil spoke, "Catch me if you can."

_The Fox was there one second grinning mockingly, and then he was Gone—the Reaper was Gone, _

_Gone like He never Existed—Gone like the Evanescent Eclipse of Lunar or Solar Phenomena_

_The Devil cannot linger—cannot be swayed by idleness for Death is at his heels—always watching and tracking. _

_But even though Death pursues like a Hunter and his Game, the Hunted is the Predator and fears no one._

_Every time Death takes a step forward, he is forced a step back. Backtracking with set back after set back_

_There is no progress in this race. Only a direct confrontation can be made and only by the Devil. _

_This isn't like the Hare and the Tortoise: The Fox is too smart and too merciless; Death is too fast and too impatient. _

_The Devil runs loose and Death chases him but this is a race Death cannot win…_

…

**So how was this? No flames please! And review! Thanks! I won't be updating this much as of this year. I have to work on my other fics. Sorry but once and awhile I'll post a chapter or two…see ya~!**


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